G.A. Henty History Novels - Book Review
Updated: Jun 12, 2023
Reviewed by: Shanea Rinn
Author: G.A. Henty
Readability Age Range: YA - ( Young Adult - 14 and up)
Book Summary - The Young Carthaginian
"The Young Carthaginian is a novel centering on Hannibal's reign as Carthage's general. The protagonist of the book is his cousin: Malchus, who is serving as a soldier in the Carthaginian military. Throughout this novel, readers see the roll the various war campaigns the nation engages, impact both the conquered and the conqueror."
My Review
These are not your typical novels.
Very detailed, thorough, and interesting, G.A. Henty wove his fictional characters alongside real life characters, and events in each novel he wrote.
These books are the very definition of "Historical Fiction" with a very heavy emphasis on history. They are not a light read, and they require a mindset ready for details and to learn.
If you have a young person who is in love with history, they will devour these books.
If you like some history in your novels but prefer it to be more focused on the story/fictional character, than these books will probably not be for you.
Having said that, these books make an AWESOME addition to topic studies in history. If you are a homeschool mom looking for resources to add to your child's study, I would highly recommend checking out G.A. Henty's titles to see if he has any that coincide with the period of history you are studying.
Meaningful Homeschooling has put together study guides that go together with the books! If you have a junior high, or high schooler and are interested in adding these to their history, I highly recommend the guides to go along with their study.
You will likely learn more from these books than the typical history textbook, all while enjoying an exciting tale that he weaves with skill throughout the book.
Christian / Religious theme / Moral
I would not consider these "Christian Fiction". G.A. Henty was a historian first and foremost. It is obvious that G.A. Henty favored "Christianity" and was against pagan practices, but his stories are strictly historical, and the characters viewpoints always reflect those of the time and place.
The moral quality of these books is top notch, and they are very clean. Themes of courage, and loyalty, and virtue, are most preeminent throughout his works.
Character/s Quality
Due to these being very historical, G.A. Henty writes his characters as they were. So you will see good characters and evil characters presented.
His fictional characters are always conscious of good and evil, and hold to good morals and ways of life. Sinful behavior is not at all glorified in this series.
Violence / Fear / Gore / Horror
Again, this is history.
G.A. Henty does not shy away from the practices of different cultures: The Aztecs - The Carthaginian's - The Romans - The Egyptians - etc. He states things as they were, and as they happened. Sometimes things that happened were grisly.
As with any topic in history, the parent needs to know their child, and if they are at the maturity where they can handle some real life details.
Having said that, the books do not dwell on the dark parts, or try to horrify the reader as a horror novel would. They simply state what happened, when, and where.
Fantasy / Magic
These stories are purely historical. There is no fantasy, or magic present.
Romance
There is usually at least one Romance in every book. It is mild, and clean. There is embracing and non descriptive kissing.
Language
No foul, crude, or shady language in this series.
Drugs / Alcohol / Substance Abuse
None at all.
Final Thoughts
I read these books growing up and learned a lot from them about certain times in history. I would highly recommend them for any teenager. They are a very interesting read, and awesome for the history lover. Some of my favorite titles are - "The Young Carthaginian" - "By Right of Conquest" - "The Cat of Bubastes" - "For the Temple".
G.A Henty wrote over 122 books so I won't list them all here. But I have linked below where you can find them.
Where can I find these books?
This series is available individually, across many different book stores. Formats include softcover, hardcover, kindle, e-book, and even audio book. A few of the book stores include Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Christian Book.com
If you are interested in learning more about G.A. Henty, you can check out this brief account about his life from this website:
About G.A. Henty by Robinson Books.com - this website also has G.A. Henty's books available in sets.
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